Only Time May Tell
by Hikari-Japan-Chan
Summary: When she discovers she is going to have to be married, Princess Hikari has only one solution: running away. Along the way, she meets Naruto and the gang, who believe in the lie she has placed. When Hinata is kidnapped and placed as a substitute for Hikari, Hikari has to make the hard decision: to go home and rescue Hinata or flee. Only time may tell the future for her...
1. The MidAutumn Moon

**_ONLY TIME MAY TELL  
_****Chapter 1**_  
Hikari-Japan-Chan_

**:DISCLAIMER:**  
_I don't own any of Naruto...If I did...I bet I would totally be your friend, reader, right hmn? Ha ha..._

A soft glow of light from a window nearby trickled through the foggy blankets cuddling the courtyard. The small face of the princess appeared in the window, her hazy lavender eyes peering out the window. "I-I can't see the moon, Advisor Masaru," she pouted to an older boy nearby, who was sitting on the bench next to her.

"Of course not, Princess," the mahogany haired boy said, chuckling. "It's covered by the fog. You'll probably see it tomorrow."

"But the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon!" the young princess of fifteen years stood, sighing. "This fog hasn't lifted at all during the night for three days! And the festival is supposed to be in a week!" She huffed, a strand of her raven hair falling in front of her face.

The brunette boy, who was slightly five years older than her, stood to attention as the princess paced back and forth, his hazel eyes twinkling in amusement. "Princess Hikari, the fog will not lift with all that pacing. You should go to sleep. After all, you need energy for tomorrow's preparations."

Princess Hikari stopped mid-circle. Sighing with defeat, she stiffly waved him off. "Alright, Advisor Masaru. I shall. Good night."

Masaru hesitantly paused, then bowed, murmuring, "Good night, Princess." He slowly backed his way out of Princess Hikari's room, closing the tatami screen quietly in front of him. As he walked away from the princess' room, Masaru mentally kicked himself for not telling the princess of what was going to happen. _And then, when she is informed by the Elders, what would she think?_ Masaru growled to himself. He furrowed his brows together, concentrating at the floor.

_**Why did I even want to tell her in the first place? Is it because...I want her to choose-**_

The brunette's thoughts were startled when he ran into somebody. "Advisor, you seem 'in the clouds' tonight, hmn?" the imposing person towered over the young man.

"Oh, General," Masaru bowed respectfully. "Ah, I didn't see you there...and, er...yes, I was...deep in thought..." His thoughts went back to the beautiful princess, who was hardly four years younger than him.

The General's silver eyes shone through the dark hall. "I see...perhaps, thinking about...hmn, the _princess_, maybe?" He chuckled in delight, pleased that he had guessed right as Advisor Masaru's tanned cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

"N-No, I mean, yes," Masaru groped for words, flustered about how the General could have possibly known. "I-I mean, I was wondering if I should..." _**Should I really tell the General?**_ he thought to himself. _**He already knows. What the heck, I'll just tell him.**_ "...I was wondering if I should tell Princess Hikari about the Elders' decision."

Running his fingers through his long white hair, the General grunted in disapproval. "You mean about her getting married already? I have already got the solution to the problem. We'll just marry her off. An arranged marriage."

"D-Did you talk to the princess about it?"

"Pfft. Of course not. If I told her, she would probably run away or...even try to marry you just to get out of it. Don't be so naïve," the General added, seeing the multiple shades of pink on the advisor's face. "We both know that you want to marry the princess, but that's impossible. After all, if we arrange a marriage for her with somebody wealthy or with a large army, the kingdom of Rikuto would be saved! And perhaps, the husband we find for her would be..._influential_."

Masaru mentally sighed. Of course, he forgot that the General would always try to find someone rich he could influence so the power would be manipulated to him. "I...I don't think that's a good idea," the young advisor tried to grope for the right words. "If we tell her she's going to be forced to be married, she might not like it. But..." an unpleasant yet logically safe idea was forming in Masaru's mind. "If we just _introduce_ her to some men...maybe..."

The General slapped the brunette on the back. "I like it! Let's do it! She'll never know what hit her."

Masaru could only sigh. He really didn't want to do this...but this _was_ for the kingdom of Rikuto, after all. Then, a small hope wavered in the brunette's heart. _**What if she **_**didn't**_** choose any of the nobles? Would she choose...**_**me**_**?**_

_**{While Princess Hikari slept that night, she had a dream...}**_

Princess Hikari woke as a little girl of four again. Then, she was still Princess Hikari, but she was called plain Hikari. She was walking into the castle, hand in hand with her mother and father, the Emperor and Empress, along with Grandfather, the former Emperor. The cherry trees bowing in front of the gateway drooped from the burdensome blossoms that flittered away in the breeze.

"Mama," Hikari looked up at her mother innocently, "Could I plant a cherry tree in my bedroom?"

The Empress looked at the Emperor helplessly, while Grandfather just laughed. "Of course, my cherry blossom," the Emperor ruffled Hikari's hair confidently.

"You know you can't do that, right?" the Empress shook her head.

"Yeah, you can!" Hikari piped up. "If Papa says he can, it can happen!" she said, confident in her father. Then, she ran ahead through the gates into the castle.

"Welcome back, little princess. How was your stroll through Konoha?" the General suddenly appeared behind her.

"It was great! We saw koi in the pond!" Hikari beamed up at the old General. Then, she ran to the inner courtyard by her bedroom and looked for a vase to hold her flowers she had picked during the walk. After finding a little chipped china vase, she stuck the flowers in and walked into the throne room. Surprisingly, her parents weren't in there. Neither was Grandfather. Hikari placed the little vase next to her mother's seat and ran back outside. "Mama? Papa? Grandpa?" Hikari tilted her head as she stared at her parents and grandfather, who had suddenly ceased to do anything except stare at the stranger advancing towards them.

"Hikari, go back inside," the Empress flicked her eyes towards her only daughter. But Hikari didn't listen. She ran up to the Empress' side, clutching her hand. "Daughter, don't be so stubborn," she tried again, her voice getting slightly agitated.

"Ah, your little princess has grown into such a fine young one," the stranger suddenly interrupted. His dark red eyes pierced into Hikari's, who cowered behind her mother.

"What do you want, Uchiha?" Hikari's grandfather finally spoke.

"You know exactly what I want," the raven haired man smirked, turning his attention from the girl to her grandfather. "You owe me, Hideki. The girl belongs to me. She has the Uchiha blood in her."

"You can't force her at this young. Wait until she's old enough, then I'll give her to you to train. Besides, here in the palace, she will also be trained," Hikari's grandfather argued, motioning for the Emperor and Empress to leave, which they hurriedly did. But Hikari stayed. She wanted to know what was going on.

"My eldest son, Second Cousin, is six years older than your granddaughter, and he has already mastered the Sharingan. She is fine," the mysterious man thundered. He put his slender fingers under Hikari's chin and forced her to look at him. "She will be fine." Hikari's lip started to quiver.

"My final answer is no, Uchiha," Grandfather placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder. "I'm willing to let you have her when she is older and more experienced. She is too young!"

"I'm tired of playing games with you, Hideki." The man stood to his full height. "You do not know what you have just done." Then, swiftly, the man turned and started walking away. Before crossing the gate, the man looked straight at Hikari and said, "Only time may tell the future...only time may tell...I hope to see you again, dear Hikari..."

Hikari woke up, sweating. Her heart was racing, and her breaths were light and quick. She looked out the window. It was only midnight, three hours since Advisor Masaru told her to get rest. The dreams had been happening more frequent. She knew she didn't want to go to sleep, for the rest of the dream would continue. The raven haired princess walked to the corner of the room, where there was a little shrine with three pictures. Bowing three times towards every family member, she whispered, "Honorable Grandfather, Honorable Father, Honorable Mother, I wish you peace."

Sighing, Princess Hikari slowly shuffled out of her room, closing the tatami door behind her softly. The tapping of her footsteps was the only other noise in the quiet hall besides the nightly watch. She walked into the courtyard and looked up at the sky. The fog had started to clear away, and some stars peeked from behind the gray blankets.

It had been ten years since that happened. Yet, Hikari still shuddered every time she had _the dream_. The mysterious man, coming to claim her, to _train_ her. But why? To train her for what exactly?

The hooting of a great gray owl in the willow tree nearby reminded Hikari to go back into her comfortable bedroom. As she snuggled back under her blankets, Hikari wondered what Masaru was trying to tell her tonight. _**He seemed hesitant...but why? What was he going to say?**_ Her eyes started to slowly close, and Hikari tried to brace herself for the rest of the dream, but she knew it would do her no good. She knew she would have to relive her parents' massacre...and murder of distant family she would never know...and her grandfather's death.

_**Only time may tell...only time **_**will**_** tell...**_

* * *

**A/N: A hug for you reading this! yays!**

Yay! This is actually my first story...in a while...from me, Hikari-Japan-Chan, of course! Yeah, I know there wasn't really that much Naruto in this first chapter, but there will be in the next (hopefully, from what I recall so far)! I hope you enjoy it! And...well, it's weird if you _beta_ your own stuff, so I don't really have a beta, unless Shigure-senseii wants to go through all that hard work to beta for me...

I love you all! Please review! Or favorite! Or follow! OR DON'T FOLLOW ME AT ALL AND BE GUILTED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE BY MY 'cute' BETA GHOST FOREVER! Or like Shigure-senseii! HAHA!

_From you lovely,_

**HIKARI-JAPAN-CHAN**


	2. Breakfast with Icha Icha

**_ONLY TIME MAY TELL  
_****Chapter 2  
**_Hikari-Japan-Chan_

**:DISCLAIMER:  
**_I don't own any of Naruto...If I did...I bet I would totally be your friend, reader, right hmn? Ha ha..._

The silver light of dawn crept through the window, blinding the peaceful sleep of young Advisor Masaru. His usually uniformly-kept mahogany hair was tousled from a good night's rest, and he grunted, his hazel eyes squinting at the brightness. The nightingales were chirping loudly, reminding Masaru that there were preparations to be made for the festival.

Scratching his head, Masaru stretched as he made his way to the bathroom to change into his normal official kimono uniform. He stepped out of his bedroom and into his office chamber, where he glanced at his desk and saw the notice from the Elders addressed to Princess Hikari. _**Princess Hikari.**_ The name sent shivers down his back as he tried not blush, thinking about the fair princess. But he shook his head. Princess Hikari was...you know, a _princess_.

_**I'm just a noble's son. I'm not even that good at swooning somebody. I can't **_**possibly**_** marry someone as brave and wise as a princess like Hikari, let alone **_**Hikari**_**.**_

Masaru made his way to the kitchen, where the cook was already issuing orders to the maids and other servants, scurrying around to make breakfast and lunch to the best of their abilities. After all, _the_ Elders were coming. It was the time to make sure everyone was doing their best and not gossiping in the courtyard. The head cook seemed ready to explode. She was waving a loaf of bread around in the air, barking endless commands to the scampering servants.

"Good morning, Cook," Masaru politely bowed as he made his way through the swarming kitchen.

"Advisor Masaru, sir, good morning," the cook curtly bowed. "Anything specific for the princess today?"

Masaru fingered a tomato on the counter nearby. "Mmm...no...not that I know of. Although, Princess Hikari does wish to see a sample of the moon cakes as soon as they are ready."

The cook bowed as Masaru walked away. She couldn't help but sigh and shake her head at the young man walking towards the princess' room. _He's only been here for two years and three lunar months, yet he fell head over heels for that princess. It really isn't a surprise he hasn't asked. What a shy boy,_ the cook smirked. Then she turned her attention back to the nearest servant, who had just poured too much salt. "You fool! I ought to slice your head off! That's too much salt! What are you trying to make? An ocean?" She hit him on the head with the long roll of bread.

As soon as he made his way through the busy, bustling kitchen, Masaru made his way into the dining area. Somebody had already beaten him there, though.

"G-General! Wh-What are you reading?" Masaru's face reddened more than the tomato in the kitchen as he found the General – of all people – sitting calmly at the table, reading _Icha Icha Paradise_. "T-That's –"

The General looked over the top of his precious book and smirked. "Well, seems you have finally decided upon waking up, young Advisor Masaru, hmn?" He was satisfied to provoke the young man. After all, the General wasn't _that_ fond of the young gentleman. He was a newbie in the palace, but he still had to learn to stay in his place. The General tossed his book over towards Masaru's direction. "C'mon, read it. It'll make you feel better," he enticed the blushing brunette. "It's the newest edition."

"Sh-Shut up! That's not – What would Princess Hikari say about you reading this?" Masaru tried to recover from the shock of seeing the General reading something so..._vulgar_. He saw, by the corner of his eye, the open book and blushed profusely, slamming the book shut.

"_What would Princess Hikari say about you reading this?_" the General mimicked the steaming advisor. "Heh, she already knows I read this. Besides, she tried talking me out of doing it, but I'm my own man. I wonder what she would think of _you_ after reading this, hmn? More..._experienced_?"

"SHUT UP!" Masaru slammed his fist on the table, on top of the newest edition of _Icha Icha Paradise_...just as Hikari walked into the room.

She was dressed in her normal crane kimono and her headpiece. Her eyes immediately focused upon where Masaru's hand was resting. Her seemingly tired face suddenly turned into a state of resentment as soon as she saw..._the_ book.

"Why, good morning, princess," the General was the first to break the awkward silence by standing to his feet and bowing. "We were just...having a conversation about how good _Icha Icha_ –"

"Advisor, you are reading that...that..._porn book_?" the princess was in her rare state of anger, her hands clenched into tight white fists.

The General slightly chuckled under his breath. _**My, everything is going according as planned. How sweet. The princess **_**does**_** make quite a lovely scene when she's upset. It's a shame she isn't frustrated quite as often. **_While the poor brunette tried to reassure the malevolent princess, the General just smirked at the squabbling two. Finally, breakfast was declared served, and Princess Hikari, momentarily forgetting about _Icha Icha Paradise_, happily dove into the usual breakfast.

"Well, Advisor Masaru, what's on today's agenda?" Hikari stuffed her mouth with the special shrimp ramen that she loved.

Masaru swallowed his cup of tea, then pulled out the notice from the Elders and handed it to her. "The Elders said that there is...er, something very important to discuss with you," he avoided meeting his gaze with the icy lavender eyes of the princess.

"Meeting? How come you didn't tell me this earlier?" Hikari sighed, as she straightened the wrinkled paper. Her eyes glazed over the paper until the finishing line. "_Urgent for the welfare of Rikuto_, they say? What about my welfare? How can I even tell what to do about our welfare until the Elders let me get out of Rikuto for once?" She gave a slight chuckle. "Those old geezers. Bah, probably want me to step down or something, give the position to someone more..._experienced_," Hikari cheerfully picked up a carrot from her soup.

Masaru shuddered at the word '_experienced_', thinking about his conversation with the General earlier, while the General just chuckled at the princess' choice of words. _**It's amazing how calm she is about the whole matter,**_ Masaru tilted his head towards the princess, impressed. _**But then again, I didn't tell her about the meeting...aw man...**_

As soon as Hikari finished the soup that was left in her bowl, she stood and said, "I'm not done talking with you, Advisor Masaru. Come with me."

Masaru sighed. _**Might as well expect another round of fighting, and me, having to lose again.**_ That was how the princess usually put Masaru in place. He was confident that she would take him to the courtyard, beat him up, and then tell him how stupid it was to read _Icha Icha Paradise_.

But to his surprise, Princess Hikari led Masaru back into her drawing room. Masaru gave a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was to be no beating...today. As Masaru respectfully kept his distance, Princess Hikari examined the painting of her parents and grandfather and herself when she was only four. Then, turning back to face Masaru, she walked up to him. And Hikari slapped him in the face.

"What the –" was the only thing to come out of Masaru's startled mouth. He rubbed the tender red spot and looked at the princess, questioningly.

"I knew you wouldn't tell me about the meeting last night," she said, disappointed. "I was expecting more from you, Masaru." The young advisor was surprised that the princess had called him by his first name only.

"I-ah, I'm sorry, princess, but you were –" Masaru stammered, still slightly confused.

Hikari held her hand up. "That is no excuse for not informing me," she stopped him. Then, she looked out the window. "How much more time until the meeting with the Elders?"

"Uh, well, according to –"

"Stop beating the bush, Advisor. When?" _**Why was Masaru stalling so much today? He was usually punctual and to the point...Something must be wrong.**_ Hikari turned back to the blushing advisor, who was now bowing to her.

"In less than half an hour, your highness."

Hikari turned back to the window overlooking the main inner courtyard. Her cherry tree by her room was laden with beautiful blossoms that slowly drifted to the stone floor. _**Just like the day Papa, Mama, and Grandfather...**_ "I'm...I'm going to practice," she abruptly put away her other thoughts and tried to compose herself. Then she fled the room.

Masaru stayed in the princess' drawing room. He glanced out the window and saw that Princess Hikari had already changed into her fighting attire. That was unusual. She only did that when she had serious thinking to do. Masaru shook his head. _**I'll never understand the princess, let alone get her to love me.**_ He stared for a few moments more at the princess, who was literally throwing knives into the dummy. But one thing startled him. A single tear from her eyes. Princess Hikari was...crying.

Hikari didn't have a clue about what was going to happen, but she knew she wouldn't like it. After all, the Elders have been strangling her from her freedom to go explore beyond Rikuto's protective boundaries. _There are ninjas out there, and pirates, and vicious people, Princess. You wouldn't make it_, they had told her.

"Heck," she muttered, chucking another knife at the immobile dummy, stabbed from all directions. "I hate those geezers." Hikari knew that she was supposed to revere them. After all, Grandfather said so. But Grandfather was dead. And the Elders did nothing about it. They did nothing about the massacre. Nothing.

She couldn't help it. She started to cry a bit. Hikari, the princess of steel, who didn't bat an eye to declare war, who would have chased a murder until he died, she was now crying. "Stop it," she scolded herself, rubbing her eyes. "That was the past. Now is...now."

The delicate princess started to pry the knives out of the wooden dummy and wiped them with her handkerchief. The gong sounded, reminding her of the meeting with the Elders, so, with a heavy heart, Princess Hikari of Rikuto hurried to her room to change into something the Elders would approve of.

**_[A few minutes before the meeting with the Elders...]_**

Masaru waited, expectantly, outside the princess' room. When the tatami doors finally slid open, he was presented with a porcelain doll before him. No longer was Princess Hikari in a simple, casual kimono, she had changed into an empress woven from golden silk and emeralds. The traditional royal hair piece was now on instead of a few flower pins, and her hair was tied into a bun. Somehow, her expression came to be somber, yet piteous and innocent. He just held his hand, outstretched, for Princess Hikari to take, which she did. Her fingers were trembling, ever so slightly, but Masaru made sure he didn't question the princess...right before the Elders were about to.

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**A/N:**

Wow...this took a while to perfect...Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! Yeah, I didn't get to adding Naruto in there yet...this is actually going to take longer than I thought. But reviews are always appreciated, viewers! And I hope your summer is amazing this year! When I'll add Naruto? Probably after two more chapters or something...*sigh* Please keep reading and reviewing! Thank you! I love you!

_From you lovely,_

**HIKARI-JAPAN-CHAN**


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